'So good' to be a Boston sports fan

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2007 at 6:48 PM

The Red Sox just brought home their second World Series trophy in four years; the New England Patriots are 8-0; the Boston College football team is ranked number 2 in the country; and the Boston Celtics are ready to open a promising season Friday with three all-stars on their team.

Rob O'Keefe

An elated Tricia Herbert walked out of Modell's sporting goods store in Brockton Monday with a Red Sox banner for her niece in Colorado.

Herbert's niece, a Sox fan living in Colorado Springs, is excited about the Red Sox World Series championship and Boston's other winning sports teams even though she lives 1,800 miles away.

"My niece told me they just don't understand out there," said Herbert, 59. What they don't understand is how sports fever is infecting folks all over New England as local teams dominate opponents at the baseball field, football stadium and, hopefully, on professional basketball courts this season.

And, despite the exhaustion of staying up late to watch games on TV, those winning ways are making folks more upbeat as they go about their day - and the thrills have built connections among fans as they cheer together for their teams and share the joy of victory, experts say.

In other words, life is good.

"In New England, we are a sports-crazy town, and there's been building excitement," said Maura Rosenthal, 38, a sociology of sports professor at Bridgewater State College. "New England is very locally focused with its sports."

Yes, it's an exciting time to be a New England sports fan. The Red Sox just brought home their second World Series trophy in four years; the New England Patriots are 8-0; the Boston College football team is ranked number 2 in the country; and the Boston Celtics are ready to open a promising season Friday with three all-stars on their team.

"Boston is the best sports city in America right now," said Ed Stewart, owner of the Charlie Horse restaurant and bar in West Bridgewater.

The upbeat mood is evident at the Charlie Horse.

"I think, in general, everyone's attitude has been positive because the teams are doing so well," Stewart said. "And it's always exciting with the Sox in the playoffs."

Herbert's niece noticed a sense of pride when she lived in Massachusetts a few years ago. "She liked the spirit of Boston fans," Herbert said.

That spirit builds connections among fans, experts say.

"There's a powerful motif around winning in our culture, and a very powerful feeling of wanting to belong," Rosenthal said.

That desire to be part of the excitement was evident at local sporting goods stores Monday, as fans snapped up caps and T-shirts with the World Series moniker.

"People have been buying a lot of stuff after every series this year, and many of the same customers," said Eddie O'Brien, 31, manager of Modell's in Brockton.

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